Fargo

1996

Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller

Synopsis

Jerry works in his father-in-law's car dealership and has gotten himself in financial problems. He tries various schemes to come up with money needed for a reason that is never really explained. It has to be assumed that his huge embezzlement of money from the dealership is about to be discovered by father-in-law. When all else falls through, plans he set in motion earlier for two men to kidnap his wife for ransom to be paid by her wealthy father (who doesn't seem to have the time of day for son-in-law). From the moment of the kidnapping, things go wrong and what was supposed to be a non-violent affair turns bloody with more blood added by the minute. Jerry is upset at the bloodshed, which turns loose a pregnant sheriff from Brainerd, MN who is tenacious in attempting to solve the three murders in her jurisdiction.

Jerry works in his father-in-law's car dealership and has gotten himself in financial problems. He tries various schemes to come up with money needed for a reason that is never really explained. It has to be assumed that his huge embezzlement of money from the dealership is about to be discovered by father-in-law. When all else falls through, plans he set in motion earlier for two men to kidnap his wife for ransom to be paid by her wealthy father (who doesn't seem to have the time of day for son-in-law). From the moment of the kidnapping, things go wrong and what was supposed to be a non-violent affair turns bloody with more blood added by the minute. Jerry is upset at the bloodshed, which turns loose a pregnant sheriff from Brainerd, MN who is tenacious in attempting to solve the three murders in her jurisdiction.

Tech specs

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by ccthemovieman-110 / 10

The Best Effort From A Number Of People

I didn't see this in the theater but saw it the first week it was out for rental, and have enjoyed it ever since. In fact, I probably enjoy this more each time I view it. It's a sick movie, though, make no mistake about that. However, it holds a strange fascination, probably because of the odd characters.

About the story: first, it is NOT a true story as indicated in the movie. That's a lie. It's a fictional kidnapping-turned into murder story with a few bloody scenes, lots of profanity (most of it by Steve Buscemi) and a comedy. Yup, this is pure "black comedy." It's dark humor mixed in with a parody about the way the Scandanavian people in the upper Midwest supposedly speak.

Both William H. Macy and Frances McDormand have some wonderful facial expressions along with their accents. Those two and Buscemi are the lead characters and all three "are a trip." Macy is hilarious; the best character in here, in my opinion. The more I watch this film, the funnier he gets. It's also the best role, I assume, ever for McDormand who was never a star before - or since - this movie. Her character in here, "Marge Gunderson," elevates this movie from just another modern-day sick crime movie, to an original. It's nice to see a wonderful husband-wife relationship, too, as is shown here with her and husband "Norm" (John Lynch).

You have this clean, old-fashioned lady cop (McDormand), a middle-of-the-road bungling car salesman (Macy) and two extreme low-life killers in "Carl Showalter" (Buscemi) and "Gaear Grimsrud" (Peter Stormare) all combining to make this story a mixture not only of people but genres. Other minor characters are strange, too, led by one of Marge's old high school acquaintances "Mike Yanagita" (Steve Park). Add to that some equally-bizarre music (slow violins) and you have this unusual story that brings out the morbid fascination in us viewers.

So, I guess what I am saying is this movie truly is an original, the best film the Coen Brothers have ever made and maybe the rest roles ever for the three main actors, McDormand, Macy and Buscemi.

Reviewed by Knife Fork8 / 10

Funny and tragic

Maybe this is because Fargo was more revolutionary at its time of release but I don't see it as a masterpiece judging it by today's standards. It's a crime story with no real shocks or twists (although the wood chipper scene comes close). That said, it's an entertaining film with its unique humour and great characters.

It's funny and slapstick enough that you can't take it too seriously, yet not so much so that you don't care about the characters at all. The irony is woven in very well, with what was intended as a way for its protagonist to get more money ending up being a complete disaster. The criminals are bad no doubt, but they're so inept at what they do (even the silent one who at first seems to actually know what he's doing) that I can't feel a deep hatred for them, despite their evil crimes. They're too pitiful for that.

In Fargo, nobody wins. Jerry's plan fails, only leading to the death of his innocent wife and his own arrest. Carl and Gaear's plan to make the money fails as well, with one of them dead and the other in prison. The money is still buried in the snow. The bad guys are caught, but that's no consolation for all the damage that has been done. Marge can only shake her head at the tragedy of it. The funniest part of all this is that the reason the plan failed was because none of the criminals trusted each other to stick to their agreement. And because the law wasn't on the side of any of them, it's not like they could go to the police about a broken agreement!

The final scene, where Marge and Norm reveal they're going to have a child, is perfect. The message is clear. People will tear their families apart and destroy their lives for a bit of cash, ignoring that true happiness was right under their nose all along.

Reviewed by gwnightscream7 / 10

Good Crime Comedy-Thriller!

Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare star in this 1996 crime comedy-thriller based on true events. This takes place in winter and focuses on in-debt, car salesman, Jerry (Macy) who hires 2 small-time, thugs, Carl (Buscemi) and Gaear (Stormare) to kidnap his wife. Things start to take a turn for the 3 of them while pregnant, police chief, Marge (McDormand) investigates the case. This is a good film with humor and violence featuring a great cast & score. Also, "Yeah" is said numerous times. I recommend this.